Shamshad Cockcroft is a British physiologist and a professor of cell physiology in the Neuro, Physiology and Pharmacology Division of Biosciences at the UCL.[2][3] She has been a member of The Physiological Society since 1989.[4][5]

Shamshad Cockcroft
Shamshad Salehbhai Jafferji
Born
Alma materUniversity of Manchester (BSc)
University of Birmingham (PhD)
SpouseLaurence Cockcroft
ChildrenJasmine, Jacob and Joshua
Scientific career
FieldsLipid mediated Signalling[1]
InstitutionsUniversity College London
ThesisA role for phosphatidylinositol metabolism in the mechanism of receptor action particularly in the muscarinic cholinergic receptor (1977)
Websitewww.ucl.ac.uk/biosciences/people/cockcroft-shamshad

Education

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Cockcroft earned a degree in Biological Chemistry at the University of Manchester in 1974 and completed her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham in 1977.[6][3] During her PhD she was introduced by Bob Michell to the subject of inositol lipids as a potential source of second messengers, a topic she pursued during her postdoctoral fellowship at University College London (UCL).[7]

Research

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Cockcroft's research and work investigates intracellular lipid traffic, interfaces club and lipids in cell signalling and membrane traffic.[1][3] Her publications include: ATP induces nucleotide permeability in rat mast cells, Role of guanine nucleotide binding protein in the activation of polyphosphoinositide phosphodiesterase and Polyphosphoinositide phosphodiesterase: regulation by a novel guanine nucleotide binding protein, Gp.[8][9][10]

Cockcroft was awarded a fellowship from the Lister Institute in 1986 and established the Lipid Signalling Group at UCL.[5][7] She was previously Chair in Cell Biology at UCL and was awarded a programme grant by the Wellcome Trust.[5]

Personal life

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Cockcroft was born in Zanzibar, but moved to the United Kingdom aged 18 following the Zanzibar Revolution.[7] She faced problems when she tried to apply for university, having only four O-levels in Maths, English, British Constitution and Geography. She had to do her A-levels in a grammar school in the UK.[7] She was inspired to pursue a career in science by reading biographies of scientists, including William Harvey and Marie Curie.[7]

She is married to Laurence Cockcroft and has three children: Jasmine, Jacob and Joshua.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Shamshad Cockcroft publications indexed by Google Scholar  
  2. ^ Shamshad Cockcroft publications from Europe PubMed Central
  3. ^ a b c UCL (8 February 2019). "Staff page at the UCL". UCL Division of Biosciences. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Homepage". The Physiological Society. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d Wray, Susan; Stokes, Chrissy (2013). Women Physiology booklet (PDF). London: The Physiological Society. pp. 12 and 13.
  6. ^ Jafferji, Shamshad Salehbhai (1977). A role for phosphatidylinositol metabolism in the mechanism of receptor action particularly in the muscarinic cholinergic receptor. exlibrisgroup.com (PhD thesis). University of Birmingham. OCLC 1064519761. EThOS uk.bl.ethos.460609.
  7. ^ a b c d e Wray, Susan; Tansey (2015). Women physiologists: centenary celebrations and beyond (PDF). London, UK: The Physiological Society. pp. 73 and 74. ISBN 9780993341007.
  8. ^ Cockcroft, S.; Gomperts, B. D. (1979). "ATP induces nucleotide permeability in rat mast cells". Nature. 279 (5713): 541–542. Bibcode:1979Natur.279..541C. doi:10.1038/279541a0. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 450099. S2CID 4369384.
  9. ^ Cockcroft, Shamshad; Gomperts, Bastien D. (1985). "Role of guanine nucleotide binding protein in the activation of polyphosphoinositide phosphodiesterase". Nature. 314 (6011): 534–536. Bibcode:1985Natur.314..534C. doi:10.1038/314534a0. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 2986003. S2CID 4231524.
  10. ^ Cockcroft, Shamshad (1987). "Polyphosphoinositide phosphodiesterase: regulation by a novel guanine nucleotide binding protein, Gp". Trends in Biochemical Sciences. 12: 75–78. doi:10.1016/0968-0004(87)90035-1. ISSN 0968-0004.